Blu-Ray Review: Annihilation

Synopsis:
Biologist and former soldier Lena (Natalie Portman) is shocked when her missing husband (Oscar Isaac) comes home near death from a top-secret mission into The Shimmer, a mysterious quarantine zone no one has ever returned from. Now, Lena and her elite team must enter a beautiful, deadly world of mutated landscapes and creatures, to discover how to stop the growing phenomenon that threatens all life on Earth. The film also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Tuva Novotny.

Review:
Lena enters The Shimmer to get answers about what happened to her husband. Out of everyone who has entered so far, only he has returned alive but has changed somehow. The story is told after Lena returns – an interrogation to get her take on the events during her time in The Shimmer. Then, to make it a bit confusing, we keep getting glimpses of Lena’s earlier life with her husband. I’m guessing it’s to build sympathy for the characters, but instead it’s jarring and confusing.

Annihilation is a sci-fi, psychological thriller. There is plenty of drama and suspense. And several scary, graphic scenes push this into rated-R territory. But it’s certainly not action-packed. In fact, it was much to slow and drawn-out for my taste. I prefer movies with either more character development or a strong story. This was somewhere in between. And Lena has very little personality. The whole Shimmer area and affects of the zone are slowly revealed, but never fully explained what it is or where it came from. I really wanted to like this film more based on other reviews. I did enjoy the final scene of the film. And the ending did have me thinking about it long after the movie ended.

Special Features Include:
Blu-ray:
• Feature film in high definition
• Bonus Content:
o Part 1 – SOUTHERN REACH
-Refractions – See how director Alex Garland created the tone, textures and color palettes for the various film environments on set.
-For Those That Follow – Listen to the cast’s perspective on their roles and learn why they found the story so intriguing.
o Part 2 – AREA X
-Shimmer – See how filmmakers transformed real set locations to create the world of Annihilation.
-Vanished into Havoc – Check out all the action as cast and crew walk you through the mind-blowing stunts and special effects.
o Part 3 – TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
-Unfathomable Mind – Learn why the visual effects are integral to achieving director Alex Garland’s overall vision for Annihilation.
-The Last Phase – Listen to the cast and crew share their fondest memories from filming Annihilation.